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Breaking First-in-Season News: This Post is Corny... and Peachy
- Bob Benenson
- Jul 12
- 3 min read
Checking Off Some Seasonal Favorites That Are Hitting the Market
Feast your eyes on these beauties from Mick Klug Farm (St. Joseph, Michigan), which I spied at Green City Market in Chicago's Lincoln Park. It is July 12, and the Chicago region's peach season is officially on.
This variety is (appropriately) July Prince. According to The Farm Connection website, July Prince peaches are "large, firm, yellow-fleshed fruit with a striking red blush. This freestone peach has a rich, sweet flavor with just a hint of tang, making it perfect for fresh eating, baking, and preserving."
Mick Klug Farm's bountiful berries also now include blackberries. I would have gotten some, but my friends at their stand told me this is the last week for Rainier cherries, so I bought a lot of them. Next time...
Also making its season debut is... drumroll please... sweet corn! The photo was taken at the stand of Smits Farm (Chicago Heights, Illinois).
There wasn't much, but consider it the high sign that sweet corn — Illinois' state vegetable since 2015 — is in season and should be piled high in the Chicago area as early as this coming week.
And more great news for readers who live in the Chicago-centric home delivery zone of Three Sisters Garden in Kankakee, Illinois. Farmer Tracey Vowell's sweet corn is literally famous among local food fans — and she announced in her latest newsletter that it is available to purchase online for Wednesday or Saturday delivery. Tracey was a longtime Green City Market vendor, and if you haven't tried her corn and other delicious produce, this would be a great time to start.
Nichols Farm & Orchard of Marengo, Illinois not only is the region's biggest diversified produce farm, but is recognized for the biggest collection of apple varieties in the region's farmers markets. If you think apples only ripen in late summer and autumn, meet Nichols' first in season Lodi apples.
According to Specialty Produce of San Diego, California — my go-to for detailed information about produce varieties: "Lodi apples have a tart, subtly sweet taste suited for fresh and cooked preparations. The variety can be eaten out of hand, but most consumers find it too tart to enjoy on its own. Lodi apples can be layered on sandwiches as a tangy ingredient, served on cheese platters, or shredded into slaws with other sweet ingredients to balance the flavor."
Green City continues to draw throngs of local food lovers at its Saturday flagship location (it also has a Saturday market in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood and a more laidback Wednesday market in Lincoln Park). This photo was taken before 8 a.m. and the place was already buzzing.
My market haul: green beans, zucchini, green peppers and Lodi applies from Nichols; apricots, Rainier cherries and peaches from Mick Klug Farm; OMG-so-good SunGold cherry tomatoes from Frillman Farms (Berrien Springs, Michigan); and "happy chicken eggs" from Finn's Ranch (Buchanan, Michigan).
Bonus haul: This week was crazy busy and I didn't get to post my Thursday haul from the Daley Plaza Farmers Market in Chicago's downtown Loop. From right, Nichols purple bell peppers, Candy Apple red onions, lettuce and eggplant; sweet cherries from Stover's (Berrien Springs, Michigan); and cherry tomatoes from D&S Farms (also Berrien Springs).
And finally, yet another photo of Daley Plaza's towering sculpture by Pablo Picasso. I can't help myself. I've photographed this whatever-it-is so many times, we're practically old friends
Have a great rest of the weekend, and get thee to a farmers market. It's the most wonderful time of the year.
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